Online Porn Watchers Filmed and Threatened into Paying Ransom

In case you’re a fan of online porn, you might want to make sure that the next time you watch it, and every time after that, you make sure that your webcam is covered. This is because hackers can spy on you through webcams, record videos of you and then blackmail you for cash.

There has been a rise in numbers of reports about hackers who say they possess footage of people in compromising situations (watching porn) and are now demanding a ransom that goes up to $500, security experts at Netsafe and CERT say.

The way the hackers sneak into your computer and record you is by tricking you into installing a malicious software, usually deployed through links on unsecured adult websites or hiding in malicious links on phishing emails.

And then, once you go onto the adult website, the scammer turns on your webcam and records what is happening to then threaten you to release it to all your contacts if you don’t pay the requested ransom.

Another version of the scam is that the criminals set up fake online dating profiles or social media, posing as attractive individuals whose photos they took off the internet. They contact you, luring you in with their fake profiles, encourage you to perform a sex act in front of a camera which then they use to threaten you into paying them ransom. If you refuse, the footage gets released on social media.

Those who frequently visit adult websites are advised to block the cameras on their laptops with tape or use some kind of a removable cover. Another advice for the people in question is to be careful about the things they click on when they visit these websites and only accept requests and invites from people online that they actually know in real life.

In case you do get into this scam trap, CERT wrote a blog post in which they say that it is very important that you do not give in and pay the ransom.

CERT says they understand how tempting it is to just give the scammers money and make the problem go away. But giving the money means they will only continue to scam more people. Your money won’t make them stop.